How to Feed Strays Near Your House (in India) Without Going Broke

Feeding stray dogs is a noble gesture and even though they can’t say the words, their gratitude shines through clearly in their eyes. But one must remember to feed stray dogs food that is actually good for them. Oftentimes, they are fed biscuits and leftover restaurant chicken, which might seem economical but is actually unhealthy for them. Biscuits and other baked goods are bad for dogs if they are sweetened with xylitol. They can cause dogs’ blood sugar to drop and can also cause liver failure. Similarly, onion and garlic are bad for dogs and are the most often used spices in restaurant food. But then what can one feed street dogs without shelling out a lot of money? Here are some options.

You can create a pressure-cooked mixture of chattan, rice, haldi and a pinch of gandhak.

• Rice

  Packet of broken rice from your local grocery shop. It should cost you less than Rs. 30 for 1kg.

• Chattan

  Ask your butcher shop for chattan/chaath, which is leftover meat. You can also get chicken feet and goat lungs, which usually count as waste for the butcher. The entire packet should cost you about Rs. 50 for 1 kg.

• Haldi

  Cook both in a pressure cooker and add haldi to the combination.

• Gandhak

  You can also add a small pinch of powdered Gandhak (sulphur) crystal. This helps in preventing maggots and mange.

You can feed them store-bought dog food, but in small quantities, so each packet will last you a long time.

• Rice

  Packet of broken rice from your local grocery shop. It should cost you less than Rs. 30 for 1kg.

• Puppy Food

  100 grams of puppy food (Royal Canine, Pedigree etc.)

• Water

  Add a lot of water to the mixture

You can approach restaurants for leftover rice and meat which you can then feed to the dogs. Dogs can suffer from GI upset, or even serious illnesses like pancreatitis if fed too much oil. Seasonings, especially those containing toxic ingredients like garlic, may also cause serious health problems. So if you are inclining towards feeding them restaurants leftovers, it is best to clean all oil and seasonings off the meat before feeding it to dogs.

Fish sellers often discard a lot of parts of the fish as waste. You can approach them and ask for these pieces for free. Fish bones can be problematic in that they are small and brittle and can lodge themselves in mouths, throats, stomachs, and intestines, even perforating organ walls. So be careful to clear out any bones before feeding strays fish. Raw fish is at risk of carrying harmful bacteria like salmonella and listeria and can make the dogs sick, so make sure to cook the fish before offering it to any stray. Rice moistened using fish broth also makes for quite the satiating meal.

Dogs have varying degrees of lactose intolerance, so some dogs who drink milk may just experience mild GI distress, or none at all, while others could display severe clinical signs of intolerance. Milk should be given to dogs as a last resort. Diluting it with a lot of water will make it safer for street dogs to be able to digest. Grocery stores can be approached for milk that is close to its expiry. They might be willing to sell such milk packets at nominal prices.

Got a stray cat to feed instead? Read how to here!